Jackie Milburn
Encyclopedia
John Edward Thompson 'Jackie' Milburn, (11 May 1924 – 9 October 1988), also known to fans as Wor Jackie and 'the first World Wor' in reference to his global fame, was a football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 player for Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

 and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

. ("Wor" in the Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...

 dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...

 means "our"), and remains United's 2nd highest Top Goal Scorer of all time with a total of 200 goals.

Biography

Milburn grew up in the coal mining town of Ashington
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...

, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

, 15 miles north of Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

, Milburn's employment as a fitter (repairing heavy machinery) had reserved occupation status during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, which meant that he remained in Ashington
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...

. He was the son of Alexander Milburn, the uncle of the four professional footballing Milburn brothers John ('Jack') Milburn
Jack Milburn (footballer born 1908)
John "Jack" Milburn was an English footballer who played 408 games for Leeds United. He was also a football manager.-Biography:...

 b 1908 (Leeds United and Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....

), George Milburn
George Milburn
George William Milburn was an English footballer who played for Leeds United and Chesterfield.-Biography:Milburn was a member of the famous Milburn footballing family. His cousin Jackie, known as Wor Jackie, played for Newcastle United...

 b 1910 (Leeds United and Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...

), James ('Jimmy') Milburn
Jim Milburn
James 'Jimmy' Milburn was an English footballer who played for Leeds United and Bradford Park Avenue.He was a member of the famous Milburn footballing clan. His cousin Jackie, known as Wor Jackie, played for Newcastle United...

 b 1919 (Leeds United and Bradford City), and Stanley ('Stan') Milburn
Stanley Milburn
Stanley Milburn was an English former football full back. Part of a famous footballing dynasty, he was brother of John Milburn b 1908 , George Milburn b 1910 , James Milburn b 1919 , cousin of Jackie Milburn and uncle of Jack and Bobby...

 b 1926 (Chesterfield, Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

 and Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...

), who were brothers of Jack
Jack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...

 and Bobby Charlton's
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...

 mother Elizabeth 'Cissie' Milburn b 1912. .

Career

In 1943, Milburn, although a boyhood Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...

 fan, signed for Newcastle United after writing to the club in response to the club's advert for trialists in the North Mail Newspaper. He arrived at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...

 with a pair of borrowed football boots wrapped in brown paper, and his lunch – a pie and a bottle of pop. Milburn made a huge impression and was invited back to a final trial match – the Stripes v the Blues. Milburn's Stripes found themselves 3–0 down at half time, but then being switched to centre forward in the second half, Milburn scored six times as his side turned around the deficit to win 9–3. Club supremo Stan Seymour
Stan Seymour
Stan Seymour was a footballer who played, managed, chairmanned, and directed Newcastle United. Born in Kelloe, Seymour is one of the all-time Newcastle United greats, and was known as 'Mr. Newcastle United' after the various years and roles he delivered for the club...

 quickly signed Milburn up, although the 2nd World War meant that he still worked in the mines whilst also turning out for Newcastle United in Wartime League games from 1943–1946.

At first, Milburn played as a winger, but switched to Centre forward after Charlie Wayman
Charlie Wayman
Charles Wayman was an English footballer.Wayman, who was born in Chilton, Bishop Auckland, was a prolific centre-forward in the first decade after the Second World War. Newcastle United signed him from Spennymoor United in September 1941, while he was working as a miner at Chilton Colliery...

 left the club to join Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...

 in October 1947 and was given the club's legendary number 9 shirt. Milburn later said in the 1981 publication, 'Jackie Milburn's Newcastle United scrapbook', "I was fortunate enough to wear Hughie Gallacher
Hughie Gallacher
Hugh Kilpatrick "Hughie" Gallacher was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s. In 624 senior games, Gallacher scored 463 times....

's shirt and virtually every Saturday he'd be waiting for me outside the main entrance, always at the same time in the same place, ten yards from the door. "Hi, Jackie, you're doing fine," he'd say, "but l've got a little tip for you..." Then he would mention something he had spotted in my play the previous game. Throughout my playing days I always listened intently to any advice the big names had to give.""

Milburn was the central figure in Newcastle's FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 campaigns of the 1950s, which saw the club win the Cup three times in five years; 1951 (scoring twice in the final), 1952
FA Cup Final 1952
The 1952 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1951-52 staging of the Football Association Challenge Cup , English football's main cup competition. The match was contested by Newcastle United and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday 3 May 1952...

 and 1955 (scoring the then quickest goal in FA Cup final history after 45 seconds). Milburn also made 13 appearances for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

, scoring 10 goals. Milburn left the Magpies in June, 1957 to join the Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 club Linfield
Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....

 as player/coach at Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...

, where he won 9 trophies (including an Irish League title and Irish Cup
Irish Cup
For the equivalent tournament in the Republic of Ireland, see FAI Cup.The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth oldest national cup competition in the world...

 win), and finished as leading league goalscorer in two consecutive seasons.

After retiring as a player, he went on to briefly manage Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....

, before returning to Tyneside to become a sports journalist for the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...

newspaper. In 1967 he was given a belated testimonial match by Newcastle. Milburn had worried that ten years after leaving the club, people would have forgotten, but he needn't have worried, as almost 50,000 turned out at St. James' Park for the match which featured a host of stars including his cousins, the famous World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 winning brothers, Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...

 and Jack Charlton
Jack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...

, and the great Hungarian player Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary, and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He became Olympic champion in 1952 and was a World Cup finalist in 1954...

.

Milburn quickly became a hero on parts of Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...

 once League Football returned after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 in 1946. He played 395 games for Newcastle, and is the club's second highest league and cup goalscorer with 200 goals; six goals behind Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...

. Shearer's European goals take his total to 206, there were no European games in Milburn's day, so he still remains the club's top goal scorer with 200 league and domestic cup goals, and 38 wartime match goals during World War 2, seeing his total record score 238 goals in 492 games.

Legacy

Away from football, Milburn was a shy, quiet and modest man, well liked and respected by all who met him. There exists a story whereby Milburn met Cardinal Basil Hume, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and a huge Newcastle United supporter. Both unassuming men, they were in awe of each other. After a conversation, the talk moved on and one suggested an autograph would be a good idea. The other agreed. Both men stood back and expected to be the recipient of the autograph, without realising the other man wanted their autograph in return.

As part of their 'bonus', the United players were given cigarettes by the club. Those who didn't smoke gave theirs to smokers. Milburn always had a ready supply. Milburn died at the age of 64 on 9 October 1988 of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...

, at his home in Ashington. His funeral was held at St. Nicholas' Cathedral
Newcastle Cathedral
St Nicholas's Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Its full title is The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas Newcastle upon Tyne...

 in Newcastle and saw over 30,000 people turn out to pay their respects.

In 1988 Newcastle United opened their new West Stand at St James' Park and named it after Milburn. In addition to the Milburn Stand at St. James' Park, two statues of the footballer were commissioned. One stands on Station Road, the main street in his birthplace Ashington, the funds for which were raised by the Civic Head, Cllr. Michael George Ferrigon during his term of Office. The other, in Newcastle, was originally situated on Northumberland Street
Northumberland Street
Northumberland Street is a major shopping street in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the North East of England. It is home to a wide range of different retailers, banks and cafes, and in terms of rental per square metre, Northumberland Street is the most expensive location in the UK outside of...

 but now stands at Milburn Junction, where Blenheim Street meets Corporation Street and Bath Lane,(a road now renamed St James Boulevard), just a minute's walk away from St. James' Park.

Milburn was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...

 in 2006 in recognition of his contribution to English Football.

Career statistics

|-
|1943–46||rowspan="12"|Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

|||Wartime League
Wartime League
The Wartime League was a football league competition held in England during World War II, which replaced the suspended Football League. The exclusion of the FA Cup in these years saw the creation of the Football League War Cup.-History:...

||95||38||2||2||||||||||97||40
|-
|1946–47
The Football League 1946-47
-Overview:The 1946–1947 season was the 48th completed season of The Football League.This season was the first to feature a full football programme since the 1938–39 campaign.-Final league tables:...

||rowspan="2"|Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

||24||7||3||1||||||||||31||8
|-
|1947–48
The Football League 1947-48
-Overview:The 1947–1948 season was the 49th completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables:The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...

||39||20||1||||||||||||40||20
|-
|1948–49
The Football League 1948-49
-Overview:The 1948–1949 season was the 50th completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables:The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...

||rowspan="9"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

||34||19||1||||||||||||35||19
|-
|1949–50
The Football League 1949-50
-Overview:The 1949–1950 season was the 51st completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables:The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...

||30||18||2||3||||||||||32||21
|-
|1950–51
The Football League 1950-51
-Overview:The 1950–1951 season was the 52nd completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables:The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...

||31||17||8||8||||||||||39||25
|-
|1951–52
The Football League 1951-52
-Overview:The 1951–1952 season was the 53rd completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...

||32||25||7||3||||||||||39||28
|-
|1952–53
The Football League 1952-53
-Overview:The 1952–1953 season was the 54th completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...

||16||5||||||||||||||16||5
|-
|1953–54
The Football League 1953-54
-Overview:The 1953–1954 season was the 55th completed season of The Football League, which ran from August 1953 until April 1954.-Final league tables :...

||39||16||5||2||||||||||44||18
|-
|1954–55
The Football League 1954-55
-Overview:The 1954–1955 season was the 56th completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...

||38||19||10||2||||||||||48||21
|-
|1955–56
The Football League 1955-56
-Overview:The 1955–1956 season was the 57th completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...

||38||19||4||2||||||||||42||21
|-
|1956–57
The Football League 1956-57
-Overview:The 1956–1957 season was the 58th completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...

||32||12||1||||||||||||33||12
|-
|1957–60|||Linfield
Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....

|||Irish League
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...

||54||68||||||||||||||54||68
|-]||||||||||||||||||13||10
502||284||44||23||||||||||||
559||317||||||||||||||||

As a player

Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

  • FA Cup
    FA Cup
    The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

    winner: 1951, 1952
    FA Cup Final 1952
    The 1952 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1951-52 staging of the Football Association Challenge Cup , English football's main cup competition. The match was contested by Newcastle United and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday 3 May 1952...

    , 1955

Linfield
Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....

  • Irish League championship
    IFA Premiership
    The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...

     1958/59, 1959/60
  • Irish Cup
    Irish Cup
    For the equivalent tournament in the Republic of Ireland, see FAI Cup.The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth oldest national cup competition in the world...

     winner 1959/60
  • Ulster Footballer of the Year
    Ulster Footballer of the Year
    The Ulster Footballer of the Year is the older of two association football player of the year awards in Northern Ireland. It is awarded by Castlereagh Glentoran Supporters' Club to the player who is adjudged by an independent committee to have been the best of the season in the IFA Premiership...

    winner: 1957/58

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK